Brooke Shields Felt 'so Angry' at Her Husband While He Was 'Happy' after Their Child's Birth

Former child star Brooke Shields desperately wanted to be a parent along with her husband, Chris Henchy. However, the couple had to source alternatives to conceive after struggling for a long time.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Brooke Shields openly talked about her dreadful journey into motherhood. She and her spouse, Chris Henchy, tried to have a baby and had to opt for numerous in-vitro fertilization treatments.

Sadly, their first pregnancy resulted in a devastating miscarriage in the third month, and it turned the movie actress's life upside down.

JOURNEY TO MOTHERHOOD

Shields shared she had to mourn her unborn child but still had the pressure of getting pregnant again at the back of her mind. She explained:

“I had to mourn it, but I also didn't want to waste any time, and I had this tunnel vision with regards to getting pregnant; have a baby. I thought, 'God, if it happened once, it can happen again.' And I didn't look back."

Then the "The Sahara" star fell pregnant with her firstborn, and she had a "perfect" pregnancy and carried her baby full term.

She described the entire experience, saying she felt strong and could do exercises and, most notably, she did not even have morning sickness. Shields shared:

"I felt strong. I felt good. Easy. I didn't have morning sickness. I was fine. I was able to do yoga, and everything was picture perfect. And it was what I always thought it would be."

The 57-year-old said to make the overall experience more joyful, she subconsciously decided to change her mindset and be in good spirits hoping that everything else fell into place.

However, not everything went according to plan because the birthing process came with unforeseen complications. Shields became traumatized after welcoming her miracle baby into the world.

The Hollywood star had her delivery induced, and after 24 hours, she underwent an emergency Caesarean section. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck, body, and leg.

She revealed that during the 24 hours of labor, her uterus herniated, and as a result, it had to be removed. Shields detailed the excruciating pain she endured in her book titled "Down Came The Rain."

Doctors managed to get the baby out, and she did not get the first glimpse of her infant daughter before she was taken away to her father. She revealed that she did not stop bleeding during that moment, and a doctor came to her and told her they might have to do a hysterectomy:

“And I’m thinking, ‘No, no, no. You can’t take my uterus away from me now.'”

Shields added the doctor told her he would monitor her for 24 hours to see whether the bleeding would stop. They then put back the uterus and sewed her up, and eventually, it stopped bleeding. Therefore, the hysterectomy procedure was no longer necessary.

Still, things did not end there; Shields had a strange reaction after giving birth whereby she felt rage in the delivery room when she saw her husband holding their newborn:

"In one instant, I looked at him, and I thought, 'Well, fine, I've done all of this. I'm sitting here with nothing that I came in with attached to me any longer.’”

The model said that even though they had a healthy baby, only Henchy rejoiced and had a glorious moment except for her. She noted it was supposed to feel like a moment she thought she deserved and had worked hard for, and her husband stole it from her.

Shields said she became jealous of the father and daughter bonding and was angered because he seemed happy, and everyone else too, while she thought she was dying.

She said that her world came crumbling down at that moment, and she did not want to be happy for her spouse and their baby daughter. When they returned home from the hospital, things became worse.

Her feelings darkened, and she ended up not being able to bond with her child. She cried hysterically and was overwhelmed with feelings of rage and self-hatred. The New Yorker recalled she did not even desire to pretend to care about her baby, and it terrified her.

Shields divulged that even though they had told her that it was the "baby blues" at first, it did not feel like it, and she could not figure out what was wrong with her.

Henchy himself was shocked by his wife's behavior towards their baby and said he expected her to be overjoyed, but she was not, and that is when he noticed that something was wrong.

He ended up breaking down crying about a week after the baby was born. The New York native asked Shields what was wrong with her because she did not sing to the baby and did not even look at her.

Meanwhile, the "Pretty Baby" star continued to believe that she had an intense scenario of the "baby blues" until friends suggested she was suffering from postpartum depression. She then consulted her doctor, and he prescribed antidepressants.

THE COUPLE'S KIDS

However, she said she was reluctant to take them at first because she felt insulted and ashamed, but her husband convinced her to try.

Shields agreed and gradually started to feel better and even wanted to be around her child more and began to like her. The mother and daughter eventually ended up bonding.

Henchy and Shields are now parents to two daughters. They welcomed their eldest child, Rowan, 19, in 2003, and their youngest, Grier, 16, in 2006.

FACTS ABOUT HENCHY

Henchy was born and raised in New York City on March 23, 1964. The screenwriter is one year older than his wife, who was born on May 31, 1965.

Since breaking into Hollywood as a TV producer, He has earned nearly 40 producing credits and more than 22 writing credits, per IMDb.

Henchy also has acting credits and appeared on several shows, including "Step Brothers" and "Entourage." He also starred in 2015's "Daddy's Home" and is reportedly worth $50 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.

THEIR LOVE STORY

The TV creator has been in Shields' life throughout most of her career. The lovebirds met on a TV set in 1999 and got engaged a year later during a lavish vacation in Mexico in July 2000.

They walked down the aisle during a romantic ceremony less than a year later, in May 2001. Since then, Shields and Henchy have been married for over twenty years.

Speaking on their long-lasting marriage, Shields revealed to Closer Weekly in May 2018 that the secret to their union is embracing time some apart, saying "a little space is good."

In May 2020, the mom of two shared a throwback snapshot to commemorate their 19th wedding anniversary. The black and white photo featured the couple embracing each other on their big day.

QUALITY TIME

The pair have been spending a lot of time together at home amid the ongoing pandemic. Shields once posted a romantic image of her and Henchy laying on the couch and captioned the post:

“Everybody finds comfort in the arms of the person who keeps you safe. Stay home.”

In turn, Henchy also likes to put a smile on his wife's face. In one instance, he was pictured by paparazzi talking a stroll shirtless alongside his love.

He shared the reason behind that at the film's premiere "Impractical Jokers," which he directed. The doting dad told Paige Six, "We walk out and there were paparazzi, and I was like 'Argh paparazzi, let's give them a show."

However, he first made sure if it was okay with Shields and took his shirt off and stated that some people believed that he usually walks around shirtless, while others got the joke.

GYM ACCIDENT

Earlier in 2021, the duo took another walk in New York City's West Village neighborhood. Although they appeared to be enjoying their stroll, Shields was spotted leaning on her spouse while using a cane.

The Hollywood star broke her femur while working out at the gym a few months before. She revealed to People that she had to learn how to walk again following the accident, admitting she felt helpless at times.

Shields disclosed that during the early stages of her recovery, she felt like she could not pull through an ordeal for the first time in her life.

But regardless, she remained committed to getting better and said her career has inadvertently prepared her for the trials she has experienced since the incident.